Kristyn Capizzano and Sydney McKibbon initially met as six-year-old teammates on their first rep hockey team. As the only two girls on the Oakville Rangers squad, there was a natural bond between them.

Eventually, they ended up on different teams only to be reunited as 12-year-olds on the soccer pitch.

Now the two friends will get another chance to play together on the ice, only this time the stakes will be higher than they ever have been. Capizzano and McKibbon will join the Canadian team that will be looking to defend its title at the IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship in Finland.

“Growing up playing hockey and soccer together, and now to be on a national team, competing at the highest level, it’s awesome,” Capizzano said.

The 17-year-old still remembers the thrill of the 3-0 victory over the United States in the championship game.

“After that game, to stand on the blueline and hear the national anthem, it was incredible.”

McKibbon, who will play at the University of Wisconsin next year, got a taste of what that would be like during the summer, playing with the national under-18 squad in a three-game series against the United States. Her third-period goal tied the game as Canada came back to take the series opener 3-2. Canada would go on to take the series two games to one after winning the deciding game 5-4 in a shootout.

McKibbon said having a chance to play with Canada prior to worlds will help alleviate some of the nerves and prepared her for the level of play she will experience when the tournament begins Dec. 29.

“It’s a faster game,” she said. “You have to make sure your passes are right on, stick to stick.”

After growing up in the Oakville Rangers and then Oakville Hornets organizations, McKibbon now plays with Stoney Creek in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League. While she considers playmaking among her strongest skills — she led the PWHL with 29 assists last year — she has continued to show increasing goal-scoring prowess. Now in her third season with the Sabres, McKibbon went from 10 goals in her rookie season to 12 last year. At the midway point of this season, she already has nine to share the team lead with Sarah Nurse, who will also be part of the Canadian squad in Finland.

“She’s great with the puck, she’s got a high skill level and she always makes the right decisions with the puck,” said Capizzano, who plays for the Sabres’ rivals, the Mississauga Chiefs.

Capizzano, who will be joined on the Canadian team by fellow Appleby College student Sarah Steele of P.E.I., has been enjoying a strong year with the Chiefs, racking up 10 goals and 10 assists in 16 games in her fourth season in the league.

“She’s got great speed and if you don’t watch her, she’s going to get by you,” McKibbon said.

While both players serve as captains for their PWHL teams, Capizzano said as one of five returning players, she expects to play a bigger role with the Canadian squad, both on and off the ice.

“Last year was a great experience,” she said. “Going in this year, I want to help in being a leader. It’s a short event and you have to have that mindset of working hard every game. You need to have a tight-knit group.”

Canada and the United States have met in the final every year since the world under-18 tournament was established in 2008, with the Americans holding a 3-2 edge. McKibbon is looking forward to evening the score and she knows the responsibility she and her teammates will carry into the tournament.

“Since I was a little kid, I wanted to play for Team Canada and wear the maple leaf,” she said. “Being Canada, there’s always pressure on to win. Regardless of whether Canada won or not last year, that’s always the goal.”